


Meteor Shower Jamboree

by kikabennet



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy - All Media Types, Parks and Recreation
Genre: Amnesia, Angst and Feels, Crossover, Identity Reveal, Mentions of SHIELD, Multi, SHIELD, Slight Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-11-08 14:41:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11083713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikabennet/pseuds/kikabennet
Summary: Andy Dwyer begins having strange dreams which become a startling reality when four aliens come looking for him in Pawnee telling him his real name is Peter Quill AKA Starlord. As Andy begins to learn more about who he really is, he begins to worry about how his past will affect his present. Affect his life with April Ludgate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this fic was inspired by one of the greatest crossover stories I've ever read, "Riding Bicycles" by fingersfallingupwards so I have to give credit where credit is due because this author came up with an amazing trope to combine two great series and besides that fic is way better than this one, but I hope you enjoy this one anyway! I respond to all comments so feel free to throw questions, complaints, ideas in the comment section and I will answer asap.

_"These boys ain't never tasted no terran before_ " 

Andy could see the ravagers, different sizes and colors looming all around him as he shrunk back, clutching his walkman. He could smell them too, their odd smells that reminded him of old gym socks and someone's garage. He could hear them talking among themselves and hear the whirring noises of different parts of the ship in the background. He walked to one of the windows and saw blackness and stars. 

"Andy?" 

He snapped back to reality, swiveling in the comfy chair on wheels, April in his lap. 

"You look like you have an idea," Leslie said excitedly. "Do you? Have an idea for the meteor shower jamboree?"

"Um..." Andy blinked. "We could have everybody bring their own shower curtain and then pelt them with rocks. Like they're in the meteor shower!"

Everyone good-naturedly groaned and half listened to Leslie as she blabbed on and on about Saturday's events. Andy politely pretended to listen while staring at the back of April's head, who was sitting on his lap. Her hair was so pretty and soft he just had to touch it so he did. Everything about April was pretty and soft. He loved how she looked, how she smelled how she smiled, laughed, scowled. 

After the meeting, April stood up and waited for everybody to clear out of the conference room. Jerry stood nearby, slowly gathering his things. He caught April looking at him and smiled.

"Oh my God, Jerry," she said. "Hurry up."

He smiled with a salute and left the room.

"Close the door!" April barked at him.

Jerry came back and obediently did as he was told. Andy grabbed April by her slim, shapeless hips, pulling her closer.

"Are we about to make out?" He asked hopefully.

"No," April said. "I wanna know what's wrong with you."

"What's wrong with me?" Andy frowned, thinking hard about what might be wrong with him. He hadn't complained about stomach pains or having too many nose hairs lately. He did get that shaving cut yesterday, but that was so long ago...

"I always see you staring off into space," April said. "But you don't look like you're thinking about candy or Fast and Furious movies."

"During Leslie's meteor shower thingie?" Andy grinned. "Babe, I was bored."

"You've been having trouble sleeping," April said. "You keep getting up and going outside to 'look at the stars' which is totally lame because the pollution and the light pollution in this town makes it impossible to even see anything, plus you always track wet grass back in the house and in the bed."

Andy vaguely remembered in the wee hours of the morning being half asleep doing just that. Was he really going all that way just to take a leak the same time as Champion so he didn't have to let him out later? That was actually pretty smart, he thought. 

"You say weird stuff in your sleep," April said. "But not in English. It's demonic or something, which is cool, but that should be me, not you."

Andy didn't know how to respond to that. April stared at him for several seconds and then sat back down on his lap, leaning her head against his chest. 

"I usually don't feel things," she said. "Because I don't care about people, but something's bothering you."

"Well, I am hungry right now," Andy told her. "I mean, I haven't eaten since breakfast when we stopped and got those breakfast tacos."

"That was forty minutes ago," April said.

"See?" Andy threw his arms out. "There it is! I'm famished."

\-----------

Andy thought more about what April had said about him sleepwalking, zoning out, and whatever else she had told-he couldn't really remember. He suggested duct taping him to the bed, but then who would let Champion out? He tried to pay closer attention to what everyone was saying, but that made his head hurt. Leslie was on them all about the meteor shower jamboree and Andy tried to stay focused on it. 

"Come get it!" Andy growled, running around the living room with Champion's new stuffed toy. "Come on, Champion!"

The three-legged dog galloped after him as Andy squeaked the little worn raccoon, falling on the floor and laughing as Champion cleaned his ears with his tongue and tried to French kiss him. 

"Alright!" Andy laughed. "You win. Here!"

Just before he handed the toy over, he looked at it. It was just a simple little stuffed brown raccoon, but something about it made Andy fall into some kind of trance once again. He heard a voice in his head, not quite as neurotic as Craig Millbrook's, but close. An accent maybe? 

"Ain't no thing like me," he muttered, squeezing it's stomach to make it squeak. " 'cept me."

He shrugged and held the raccoon out to Champion, who graciously accepted and began trying to tear the stuffing out. Andy petted the dog and got up to go into the kitchen where April was attempting to make two hundred cupcakes for the jamboree.

"I still can't believe you told Leslie you'd do it," he said. 

"Do you think I'd get in trouble if I put laxatives in them?" April asked. "Or rat poison?"

"Can I have one?" He asked hopefully, looking at container after container lined up on the kitchen counter of chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting.

"I made those for jamboree," April told him in a flat voice. "Have as many as you want."  
  


Andy took one in each hand and took a bite out of each one. 

"Maybe I'll put a surprise razor blade in one cupcake in each container," April said and then groaned. "Ugh. Why did I do this? Oh yeah, because baking cupcakes means I don't have to talk to anyone because I'm alone in my kitchen in my house."

"They're delicious, Babe," Andy told her taking three more. He then asked, "Hey, what's for dinner?"

"Cupcakes," April told him.

"Awesome." He grabbed another two and followed her into the living room. 

"Oh," he said, kind of sadly. "Champion ate the raccoon."

"It's training for when we catch him a real raccoon," she said, kneeling down to pet their dog. 

Andy began collecting the carcass and stuffing. He didn't want to be pulling cotton out of Champion's butt again. It was kind of gross. He took it to the trash and threw it away. When he got back to the living room, he stopped.

_"A bomb? And you keep it lying around?"_

_"I was gonna put it in a box."_

_"A box? What's a box gonna do?"_

_"How about this one?"_

The box was small and light with beautiful rainbow paper. The patterns on the wrapping looked like Skittles, he remembered. 

"Babe?"

He looked up to see April staring at him, rubbing Champion's belly. He had spaced out again. He shook his head a little and sat down beside her on the floor. 

"Hey, Babe?" He asked. "Remember what I told you? What I asked you not to tell Leslie or Ron?"

April stared at him.

"What?" Andy asked.

"You ask me not to tell Leslie or Ron something like once or a week," she said. "You have to be more specific."

"About the pit," he said.

"Yeah..." April continued to stare at him. "I never told them. It's not even interesting enough to tell them."

Andy had never told anyone about the truth about the pit. About how he'd fallen in and gotten amnesia. He remembered just waking up in that big dirt pile, two broken legs, and no recollection of, well, anything. When the neighbor had found him, Andy had not even been able to tell the guy his name. Once he was in the hospital, cleaned up with two casts on his legs, a pretty nurse had entered the room and informed him that she was his girlfriend and his name was Andy and then she brought him Taco Bell. 

All of his memories had been through Ann after that. His parents were deceased and he and Ann had been dating for several months. She was pretty, and had a house, and Andy had no clue about anything so he didn't ask questions, didn't complain. Well, except for asking for stuff all the time from the couch and complaining about itching and sweating. 

Nobody knew about his amnesia except for Ann and April, who he told two years after it happened because in passing April had asked why she'd never met any of his family. 

"I'm starting to wonder," he confessed. "If some of my memories might be coming back."

"Are you an axe murderer?" April asked in a flat voice. "Do you remember where you hid the bodies? I wanna see them."

"I don't think I murdered anybody," Andy said, scratching his head. 

"Were you a jewel thief?" April asked. 

"I remember a box," Andy said.

"Did it have a head in it?"

"No it was way too little-" Andy shaped it with his hands. "It was a present, with wrapping paper."

"Wow, Andy," April said sarcastically, which was hard to tell sometimes, even for Andy. "A wrapped box. That explains everything."

She realized her mistake when hurt flashed in his eyes and snuggled up against him, stroking some of his hair. 

"You'll remember one day," she said. "And hopefully it will be something really cool and it might even turn out you have an evil rich uncle or something, and then we can actually murder somebody and take all of their money."

"I guess my life couldn't have even been all that exciting," Andy said, laughing. "I mean, just being Ann's boyfriend and being in a band and sitting around all day. Actually that sounds really cool-just not the Ann part."

\----------

"Alright!" Leslie said. "So I think we might have everything for the Meteor Shower Jamboree."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. 

"Planning," Leslie finished. " Now it's time to really get to work. We're going to need someone to barbecue-Ron, that's you. Music-Andy, T-shirts-"

"I'm on it!" Tom said with a clap. "I've already been coming up with tons of funny Meteor ideas for t-shirts. Check this one out, 'Meteorwrong'."

Everyone stared.

"Amirite?" Ben finished with a chuckle.

Tom frowned at him.

"Ben!" He whined. "You ruined my joke."

"Okay, guys," Leslie said. "This has to go really well, okay? People in Pawnee don't ever really get to see something as beautiful as meteor shower-by the way, who actually knows what a meteor shower is so I can sound super knowledgeable about it?"

"Well," Ben said. "a number of meteors that appear to radiate from one point in the sky at a particular date each year, due to the earth's regularly passing through a field of particles at that position in its orbit-"

"That's great, Honey," Leslie said, cutting him off. "Right that down and give it to Tom to write in a more interesting way so people don't get bored."

Jerry suddenly burst into the conference room, an anxious look on his face.

"Guys, you're not gonna believe this!" He said.

"Jerry, we're having a meeting," Leslie said.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Jerry said, wincing. "But some strange folks are here and they're looking for a Peter Quill. I told them there isn't anybody by that name here, but they're persistent that he is. They say they saw him come in with April."

Everyone turned to Andy and April. 

"Oh my gosh." Andy straightened up in his seat. "Somebody named Peter followed us to work. He was probably hiding in the backseat."

"What?" April frowned. "Babe, the backseat is full of cupcakes."

"Exactly why someone would wanna hide back there," Andy pointed out.

"You left them in the car?" Leslie asked. "For how long?"

"I dunno." April shrugged. "I baked them like two days ago and put them in the backseat and just kept accidentally on purpose forgetting to bring them inside the building."

"I guess send them in," Leslie told Jerry, curiosity in her voice.

The first person to enter behind Jerry was a large man with gray skin and strange red markings all over his body. Tom's mouth fell open, but other than that, nobody really said or did anything. The next person was a woman with green skin and black and purple hair, and then a large tree creature, and finally, a raccoon wearing clothes.

"Wow." Tom finally said. "This is good, Leslie. This is really good."

Leslie gave him a questioning look.

"Meteor showers? Aliens?" Tom threw his arms out. "Why didn't I think of that? We could make a killing doing UFO spotting stuff."

"Wha? No," Leslie said. "I don't know these...individuals. Who are you?"

"WE FOUND YOU!" The large man said, suddenly charging at Andy, who pushed April off of him just in time to get pulled into a bone crunching hug. The man's skin sort of felt like what Andy imagined petting a dinosaur might be like.

April stumbled slightly, and after she found her footing she asked, "Andy, who is this guy?"

"I don't know," Andy breathed, actually _tried_ to breathe was more like it. 

"Drax, let him go," the green woman said.

"Yeah," the raccoon spoke. "His eyeballs are starting to bulge out and everything."

"That raccoon just spoke," Donna said, blinking.

"Well," Leslie said, also blinking. "Pawnee is known for having a raccoon infestation problem and they always seem to get smarter with every toxic waste barrel they tear into."

"What is going on?" Ben asked. "Andy?"

The big man released Andy and he was thankful to inhale and exhale.

"Um, honestly," he said. "I have no idea."

"We've been looking for you, Peter," the green woman said. "We thought you were dead. We've been searching for five years."

"We almost gave up," the raccoon said. "Until a little bird told us some strong energy was radiating from Terra."

"Alright, Ben did this." Tom pointed. "Only he could find some hardcore cosplay dorks to pull this off. That animatronic tree and raccoon even look real."

"Wait, wait, wait," The raccoon said, holding up his hands. "Oh, yeah, I forgot! Terrans don't space travel yet. You all have no clue we're not from here."

"They believe us to be terran," The green woman said. She turned her attention to Andy again. "What happened? Where did you go?"

Andy saw a combination of hurt and relief in her eyes and he longed to give her a response because he hated to see people sad, but he had no answer for her. He had no clue who she was or what was going on. 

"Ron?" Leslie asked, sounding panicked. "What do we do?"

"Well, some strange visitors claiming to be from outer space are currently standing in our conference room wasting valuable government time," he said. "So we do nothing."

"I'm really sorry," Andy told them. "My name's Andy. I think you might have the wrong guy."

"He has amnesia," The large man said looking at the green woman.

"No, he's just a little slow," Tom reassured them with a nod. 

"No, it's true," Andy told him, running a hand through his hair awkwardly. "I do have amnesia."

Everyone's attention was on Andy now and they all talked at once, asking him a million questions.

"I mean I  _did_ have amnesia," he said. "At one point in time, but it's no big deal. Ann told me everything about my life and-"

"Ann knew?" Leslie asked, her eyes growing wider and wider. 

Speaking of Ann, she walked into the conference room with three boxes of doughnuts. 

"Cake, glazed, and chocolate frosted," she said with a big smile. When she looked up and saw the strangers in the room, she took a sharp breath.

"Oh, God!" She said, placing a hand to her heart. 

"You knew Andy had amnesia?" Leslie accused. "Why didn't you tell anybody?"

"I think that's the least of our worries right now," Donna told her. 

Ann looked like she might faint. She stared at the four strange looking individuals before her gaze fell to Andy. 

"Andy," she said slowly. "I am so sorry. I was told something like this could never happen."

"What could never happen?" April asked hotly, holding Andy's hand. 

"What's going on?" Leslie asked. 

Andy looked at Ann suddenly very worried about everything. He squeezed April's hand. Ann opened her mouth but no words came out. She licked her lips and tried again but was interrupted by the sound of the doughnut box being opened. They all turned to see Ron casually selecting a doughnut and biting into it.

"Please," he said, gesturing with his doughnut. "Continue."

Ann ran a hand through her hair.

"Okay," she said. "When I met Andy, I was a nurse for an organization called SHIELD."

"Skip to the part about Andy," April said. "Nobody cares about your past, this is about his."

"I'm getting to that," Ann told her, sounding annoyed. "It's a secret organization that keeps strange things under wraps like..." she gestured to the strangers. "Aliens and weird artifacts. Stuff like in the movies."

"Why am I not working for this secret organization?" Tom pouted. 

Ann ignored him and continued. 

"Andy was found just outside of Pawnee. He was hurt, his legs were broken, and they told me he was in danger," she said. "I didn't see much of what SHIELD did or anything, and I didn't ask a lot of questions, but they told me as Peter's nurse about his memory loss and I shouldn't encourage any delusions of aliens or space or something about infinity stones or...just a bunch of stuff, okay?"

"This meeting is so interesting," Donna said, picking up a doughnut box. 

Andy swallowed hard and he was suddenly flooded with a scary memory of being somewhere, not in the pit, his legs throbbing painfully. He had been in the woods, he remembered, dipping into the blurry memory. 

_"Can anyone hear me?" He asked into his communication device. "I crash landed. How's my ship? Is everyone okay? Gamora? Rocket? Drax?"_

_He rolled up his pant leg just a little, wincing, and he could feel his head thick like it was stuffed with cotton. His vision kept going in and out. He heard lights and sounds and radios. He was so sick that he turned and vomited in the grass beside him._

_"Hello?" He called weakly, wiping his mouth._

_"Mr. Quill?" Someone approached him and he tried to keep his vision from being so fuzzy. "I'm agent Coulson of SHIELD. We're going to make you all better."_

_"_ I was tending to Andy in the hospital and then they asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend and made up some history for him," Ann said, sounding helpless. "They said it was just for a couple of days."

Andy stared at her with such hurt and betrayal in his eyes that Ann's own eyes became tearful. She smiled a little through her tears and said, "I really started to like you, though, Andy. It got out of hand, and I'm really sorry."

"You should be!" April snapped. "I always knew I didn't like you for some reason. Oh wait. I remember. It's because you're a big, stupid liar."

"April," Leslie said with a warning tone. She turned to Ann and asked, "You worked for a secret organization that made you lie about Andy's amnesia?"

"Okay!" The raccoon held up his hands. "That was easily, the most boring story I've ever heard in my life. Can we get back to business."

"Who's SHIELD?" Andy asked. "Why did they want you to lie and pretend to be my girl friend?"

Ann shrugged. "I don't know. I was just a nurse- a spineless nurse at that. Andy, I'm sorry."

"Your name is Peter Quill," the green woman told him. "You are part of our team. We go on rescue missions, help people in the galaxy. You're a pilot. You have a ship."

"I am Groot," the tree said.

" _We_ have a ship," Rocket said. "And for the past five years, it's been my ship, really."

Andy's head hurt more than it had ever hurt, and that was saying something because Leslie often made his head hurt when she talked for a long time about things that didn't really interest him. He looked first at the large man, then the raccoon, then the tree, and finally at the green woman. He felt a smaller hand slip into his and he squeezed it, knowing who it belonged to.

"Um," he said. "This is really weird, and awkward and sort of terrifying."

"I'll say," Donna said with a snort. 

Andy bit his bottom lip before saying, "I'm sorry you came all this way from Mars or something, but even if this all true. I have a different life."

"Okay, first off," the raccoon said. "No one lives on Mars. Don't be stupid. Second, we didn't come all this way to get turned away. You owe us, Quill."

"What?" Andy frowned. "No, I don't. I don't even know you. You're a raccoon."

"Stop calling me a raccoon!" The raccoon told him, sounding angry.

"Okay, space raccoon," Andy said. "What should I call you?"

"My name is Rocket," the raccoon said. 

"Peter," the green woman said carefully. "We had no idea you were without your memories, and this must all be frightening for you, but once it has time to sink in..."

She shrugged, unsure of how to finish and Andy didn't know what to say to that. He watched as she started to take his hand, and then stopped when she already saw that April had it. 

"Okay," Leslie said. "This is all getting out of control-"

"It's been out of control," Tom told her. "What are you talking about?"

"You all need to leave," Leslie told the aliens. "Andy is stressed, and when he gets stressed, he starts to sweat and-"

"And takes his shirt off," the big man said. "We know. He used to do it on the ship."

"I have to agree," Ron said, standing up. "I'm going to have to ask you all to go, even if this is a public building."

"We ain't goin' nowhere!" The raccoon said.

"Yes, we are," Drax said, looking at Andy with a sort of empathetic expression. 

"What?" The green woman seemed horrified by the idea. "We just found him."

"He needs time to process all of this," Drax said, and Andy felt relieved and comforted by this.

"Hey, how come you all speak English?" Tom wanted to know. "If you're really-" he made air quotes. " 'Martians'."

"For the last time," the raccoon said. "No one lives on Mars, and we're using this doo-hickie since you humans don't have implants."

He held up some sort of handheld device and explained, "It allows us and you to hear the same language as long as it's turned on."

"Oh, Peter." The green woman reached up and brushed some of his hair back. "They took your implant out."

\------------

"Okay," Leslie said for the fiftieth time after the strangers had left. "Okay, okay, okay, okay."

"We are going to protect you, Andy," Tom said, slamming his hand on the table. "I've seen  _Independence Day_ ,  _Mars Attacks, Aliens, Alien VS. Predator, Lilo and Stitch_. I got this. You're in good hands with Tommy."

Ron chuckled at that and Tom frowned at him.

"Guys," Andy said. "I know it's gonna sound weird."

"Nothing can possibly sound weird at this point," Donna assured him.

"I don't think they're here to hurt me," Andy said, shifting in his chair uncomfortably. "I think they might actually be telling the truth."

Leslie looked at Ann, who still looked as guilty as anything.

"So tell us more about SHIELD," she coaxed. "Maybe we can help Andy before he's abducted and we never see him again."

"What?" Andy frowned.

"Don't worry, Babe," April said. "I'll never let aliens abduct you. That's why I carry around a can of Raid in my purse."

"SHIELD recruited me a nurse years ago," Ann said. "I just thought it was some big fancy corporation, but other nurses and doctors talked."

"Well, naturally," Andy said. "Everybody talks."

"No, I mean they talked about SHIELD and its secrets," Ann explained. "They thought the doctors and nurses were too stupid to really figure anything out, but they brought in this guy with a hammer, and Tony Stark-you all know him."

Leslie rolled her eyes.

"Yes," she said. "He's no friend of the government and therefore no friend of mine, moving on," she said.

"They put something in his chest cavity," Ann said. "It keeps him alive. There's a doctor named Bruce Banner. Something's wrong with him. He turns into a monster or something."

She shook her head and said, "Look, when they found Andy, he was in the woods next to a small aircraft. He was badly injured and had technology on him that did not match ours. They didn't tell me this, I snuck a peek at his file. He went in for some kind of surgery on his head and then they assigned me as his attending nurse."

"Where they told you to let me live in your house and have sex with me?" Andy asked in disbelief. "How committed to this job were you?"

"That came later," Ann said. "They told me while you were in the hospital, so you wouldn't freak out about having no clue who you were, they asked me to pretend to be your girlfriend and talk about 'when we go home' and they said I would never see you after that."

"But you moved him into your house?" Tom guessed. 

"I really started to like him," Ann said. "He was funny and kind of a flirt and I was worried about what SHIELD had planned for him, so the day he was discharged he was supposed to be just thrown out in some random city or something. I don't know, they didn't tell me. So I asked permission to take him home, keep up the ruse, and they loved the idea."

"Well, naturally," Ron said. "You did their dirty work for them. You deprived Andy of his real identity, his real life."

"I know." Ann winced. "And I can't apologize enough. That's why I was so willing to wait on him hand and foot the way I did, because I felt sorry for him."

April shook her head and stood up.

"Let's go, Andy," she said. 

"Where are you going?" Leslie asked. 

"Home," April said. "Andy needs fresh baked cookies and to cuddle with me and Champion. He doesn't need Ann and her lies and aliens and other dumb stuff."

"Aw, Babe." Andy smiled. "You're gonna bake me cookies."

"They come pre-made," April replied with a shrug. "I just put those squares of cookie dough on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven. I'm not baking with love or anything."

"Do as you must," Ron said. "If you need anything, call Leslie. I will, however, make this one exception."

April and Andy stared at him.

"If you need me to kill one of those aliens," he said. "This is the one time I'll help out, because I've always wanted to kill an alien."

"Ron, I'm this close to saying 'I love you'," April said in a shaky voice.

"Please don't," Ron said. "We can leave those words unspoken. In a puddle of alien blood."

April nodded, wiping away some tears.

\--------------

"We have to get him back," Gamora said. "Peter isn't Peter anymore."

"He seems happy," Drax countered. 

"Whoever took him," Gamora said, pacing. "They knew what they were doing. They took out his implant, they forced that nurse to lie to him. They wanted Peter to forget. It might even be brainwashing we're looking at."

"That's what I was thinkin'," Rocket said, sitting on the floor, cleaning one of his many guns. "I think this SHIELD might know more than the average terran. Remember Nova said something about Peter's biology was strange? SHIELD might know that too."

"See?" Gamora threw her arms out. "He might even be in danger."

Drax considered this and finally nodded. 

"I am Groot," Groot said.

"What? The little frownie chick?" Rocket asked the tree. "You think they're a thing."

"A woman's love can make a man do almost anything," Drax said.

Gamora bristled slightly, remembering seeing Peter's hand joined with that terran girl's. She was a warrior, however, and she was not about to let petty feelings get in the way of what was important. 

"There has to be some way to make him remember," she said. "And bring him home."

 

To Be Continued...

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Andy's thoughts were far away as Leslie yammered on about something. There was note-taking paper in front of him and he scribbled the unfamiliar name on the right hand corner. 

_Peter Quill_

It felt like writing someone else's name, not his own. Even Bert Macklin sounded more natural to him. The sound of a large, heavy binder slamming onto the table snapped his attention back to Leslie.

"Alright, now that we've discussed what kind of barbecue sauce we'll have at the jamboree," she said. "It's time to get down to more important matters."

"Right." Tom snapped his fingers. "Strip poker. I'm in."

Leslie frowned.

"What? No," she said. "I mean Andy and the strange visitors that arrived yesterday."

"Oh, right." Tom nodded. He looked at Andy. "Did you ever get that settled."

Andy blinked. 

"No," he said. 

"That seems like something you should have got taken care of right after work," Tom said. "But that's just me."

Leslie opened the binder and said, "I pulled an all-nighter last night investigating SHIELD."

Andy sighed.

"You didn't have to do that," he said apologetically. "All night? For me?"

"Oh, no," Ben interjected, dismissing the apology with his hand. "She would've stayed up all night anyway."

"I only sleep eight hour cycles two nights a week," Leslie said simply. "Other wish I'd never get anything done. Now-" she jabbed her finger onto one of the pages. "Ann went over some of this stuff with me and unfortunately, this is very top secret stuff, but she did remember some of the info from your file."

Everyone turned their attention to Ann, who drummed her fingers against her Styrofoam coffee cup nervously.

"I remember your name on the file was Peter Quill," she said, looking at Andy, who looked down at the name he'd written. "There was some other information about your injuries-the broken legs, possible concussion, and a surgery to remove something."

"My implant," Andy murmured, dipping into a blurry memory of a blue man speaking to him, gripping him by the shoulders and smacking the side of his head gently.

"What?" Donna frowned at him.

"That green alien said SHIELD took his implant out!" Tom exclaimed.

"What was the implant?" Ben asked him. "Do you remember?"

Andy shook his head slightly as more images came to his mind. Large, colorful men letting him taste strong, strange drinks. Piloting some kind of ship, stars out the window. A mask over his face. No, it wasn't a mask, he knew that somehow.

"Andy?" April touched his arm and he pulled her against him as she sat on his lap, suddenly feeling scared and helpless without her.

"Well, I contacted Tony Stark," Leslie said. "Even though I hate his guts because he made a big show about not turning over his ridiculous Iron Man suit."

"That suit belongs to him," Ben argued. "The government had no right-"

Leslie raised one of her eyebrows at him and Ben dutifully shut up.

"You got a hold of Tony Stark?" Tom's eyes went wide.

"No, I did not," Leslie said with a sigh. "His secretary, Ginger or Clover or Coriander or whatever her name is didn't buy my story about wanting to offer him the Inventor of a Lifetime Award."

"Pepper Potts," Tom corrected her. "Hottest secretary in the world. I told everyone he was hittin' that before he told everyone he was hittin' that."

"Tony Stark is old and gross," April said. "Why would we even care about anything he says?"

"Because he has connections to SHIELD," Ann explained. "His name was thrown around all the time."

"He might be able to give us more information about Andy," Leslie added. "And why SHIELD threw him out on the streets with no memory and a new name. Of course, they threw him out on the streets of Pawnee which is the best thing that could ever happen to anybody, but still."

The door opened and Jerry walked in with a stack of papers.

"Here's the list of potential vendors for the jamboree," he said, handing them to Leslie. As he passed them over, he caught a glimpse of the binder.

"What's this?" He asked, frowning as he put on his reading glasses.

"It's just jamboree related nonsense," Ben said with a shrug.

"Does this say SHIELD?" Jerry asked, removing his glasses and looking up. "That's a pretty big deal."

"No, it's really not." Leslie tried to laugh it off. The last thing they all needed was Jerry bumbling around making things even more awkward and confusing for Andy's situation.

"It is," Jerry said, bobbing his head up and down. "I used to work for them."

"What?" Everyone asked together.

"Well, sure," he said. "Of course, I had to quit when my third daughter was born because the work was too dangerous and full of secrets-"

"Nobody cares about that stuff," Tom interrupted him. "Go back to the part about you working for them. What is it?"

Jerry looked flustered and Leslie, still looking at him, silently slid over a box of doughnuts.

"You want some coffee, Jerry?" She asked him. "You're gonna be in here a while."

April got up to shut the conference room door. All eyes were on Jerry now and he wiped his sweaty forehead.

"Guys," he chuckled nervously. "SHIELD has a very strict policy about discretion. Even after you leave the company, you're sworn to secrecy."

"We work for the government," Ron said. "We have nowhere to be and have all day to wait on you."

"We can wait all day," Ben added.

\------------

Chris made it back to the office building from his sixth morning jog. He stopped at the door and frowned thoughtfully at the four strangers about the enter. He used his towel to dab the little droplets of sweat from his forehead and smiled as they turned their attention to him.

"Halloween in July," he said, grinning. "I love it!"

The green woman frowned at him.

"We're looking for Peter Quill," she said. "He was here yesterday."

"I don't know who you're talking about," Chris chirped. "But I will be happy to help you find him."

He looked at the large tree creature and said, "Your costume is so amusing. Do you mind if I touch it? It just looks so real."

"I am Groot," it said.

"I am Chris Traeger," Chris replied, running his hand up and down and its trunk. "Wow! That is just so real!"

"Humies," the raccoon muttered, rolling it's eyes.

"And you, Little guy!" Chris squatted down on the balls of his feet. "I don't carry candy around because it's practically poison, but I have a treat for you anyway."

He fished something out of the fanny pack he was wearing and held it out. "An individual snack sized packet of nuts. All kinds. It's fun, healthy, and nature's candy."

The raccoon stared at him, and did not take the nuts.

"The man we're looking for lost his memory," the green woman said as Chris stood up, munching on the packet of nuts himself. "He goes by a different name now. Andy...I think it was."

"Andy..." Chris chewed thoughtfully and then snapped his fingers. "Oh, Andy! Andy Dwyer!"

"Yes!" The green woman smiled and then quickly frowned.

"I believe he's here today," Chris said, motioning for them to all follow him inside. "He's our resident shoe shiner."

"Shoe shiner?" The three minus the tree asked in disbelief.

"Well, yes, we love him," Chris says. "He brings so much joy to the department. He also helps out with projects and is often an assistant to our head of staff."

"Quill's a shoe shiner," the raccoon said in a flat voice. "Lost his memory and became a shoe shiner. Fan-fucking-tastic."

Chris turned around a wagged a finger at him.

"If I were your father," he said. "I would wash your mouth out with soap for using such naughty language. Not real soap though. An organic fruit paste in the shape of soap."

"What's wrong with this guy?" The raccoon asked the others.

\--------

When Chris opened the door to the conference room, everyone was screaming at Jerry, who was sitting in a chair that was backed up the wall, his hands up in a defensive fashion.

"What's going on?" Chris asked.

They all turned and Tom dove under the table.

"It's the aliens!" He said.

"Stay away from Andy!" Leslie said, picking up a three hole punch. "This thing's loaded and I know how to use it!"

Andy turned around and stared at the strangers. The green woman simply pushed past Chris and gripped Andy's arms.

"Peter," she said. "Listen to me, I know we can help you to remember. Just come with us. Let us show you your ship, I know it can jog your memory."

"They wanna take Andy onto their space ship!" Tom said from under the table. "Where they can dissect his brain."

"Good luck with that," Donna mumbled, still in her chair, relaxing. She was mostly there for the drama of it all.

The large gray man with red tattoos all over his body caught her eye and she winked at him. He blushed and looked away.

"Andy isn't going anywhere," April said.

"Guys, you made me so nervous I tinkled on myself a little," Jerry said and everyone made a face.

Andy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He held up his hands and said, "Look, this is getting out of hand. Jerry's peein' on himself and everything."

He gently removed himself from the green woman's grasp and said, "I'll go with you to see whatever you want me to see, but I'm not leavin'. I'm not Peter Quill."

"Andy-" April took his hands this time, desperately, her eyes wide and worried.

"And April comes too," he told them.

"Her?" The raccoon pointed. "Who even is she? Why do you gotta bring her?"

"She can come," the gray man said. "We mean you no harm, Peter."

"Andy," Andy and April said together.

As they started to walk out of the room, Leslie buzzed after them like a little bee, clicking in her heels.

"Whoa!" She said, like they were a herd of runaway horses as she stood in front of them. "Wait a minute!"

"Leslie, it's fine," Andy told her.

"It is not fine," she snapped back. "Andy, these...people..." she made a face at the tree and the raccoon. "Just asked to take you on a ship. We're land-locked."

"A space ship," the gray man explained casually.

"That's what I was implying," Leslie said. "But thank you."

Ron approached the group and placed a hand on Andy's shoulder, staring up into his eyes.

"How do you feel about this, Son?" He asked.

Andy felt April's hand tuck into his own and he gave it a little squeeze. He stared at the four individuals in front of him and for a fleeting moment, images passed through his mind of him _with_  them. They flashed through his mind like a camera shutter, each one as fleeting as the last. The final one that came to mind before he snapped back was of him and the green woman slowly dancing with one another, her green skin warm against his. When he came back to reality, he saw her dark eyes full of anticipation and hurt. 

"I'll be okay," he said, swallowing hard. 

Ron nodded and took a step back.

"Babe." Andy licked his lips and turned around to put his hands on April's shoulders. 

"No." April shook her head. "I'm going with you."

"I'm coming back," he said. "I promise. Just if it's dangerous, I can't risk you coming too."

"That's stupid." April said, her eyes becoming glossy with tears as she smacked him in the chest with her fist. 

Andy took her face in his hands and kissed her, and when she kissed him back, he knew that was his permission to go alone. When he pulled away she was furiously wiping away tears with the back of her hand. Leslie took her by the shoulders and pulled her against her. 

"You will come back," she told Andy firmly. "Trust me. I'm not like these guys-" she nodded at the aliens. "I can find anyone."

"I know you can," Andy said, smiling a little. "I'll be back. I promise."

\-------------

They all piled into Andy and April's tiny car, the tree and the gray man literally squished together in the back, the green woman up front and the raccoon on her lap. 

"This is humiliating," the raccoon said. "And what is this piece of junk?"

Andy started the engine and it made the same old horrible starting noise it always did. It took him three tries with the key to get it to start. 

"That did not sound good," the raccoon told him. "And that light says 'check engine'. Have you checked the engine?"

"I only do that if it breaks down," Andy said, backing up and the brakes made a horrible squealing noise.

"It smells foul back here," the large gray man said.

"I am Groot," the tree added.

"It does smell like a wet carpet," the raccoon agreed. "What is that?"

"Champion rides in the car a lot," Andy explained. "He's our dog."

As they started to get onto the road, he asked, "Where am I going exactly?"

\-------------

The ship was in the woods. Gamora smiled a little at Peter's boyish-like innocence as he looked around stupidly before Rocket hit the switch and the cloaking device came off. Peter gasped and stumbled back a little, smiling wide.

"Whoa!" He laughed, placing two hands on his head. "That's a space ship!"

"That's right," Rocket said. "It is."

"Would you like to see inside?" Gamora asked him, gently touching his arm. 

"Um, yeah," Peter said sarcastically, starting to sound like his old self. 

They led him inside and each of them watched his face carefully as his eyes were all over the place. He wandered around, touching things and picking things up and examining them. Gamora walked up to him, hands behind her back as he picked up his Walkman.

"Hey, we have these here on Earth," he said, turning it over.

"It came from Earth," Gamora told him quietly. "It's yours."

Peter laughed and set it down.

"I travel the universe in a space ship and listen to a walkman?" 

"No, Peter-" Gamora picked it up and grabbed his arm. Amusement had not been the reaction she'd anticipated and it frustrated her. That walkman meant everything to him and she'd been so careful about keeping it safe.

"What?" He asked as she held it out to him.

"It doesn't bring anything back?" She asked. "You treasured this. It has all of the songs your mother loved."

"Oh, yeah?" Peter put the headphones on. "Like what?"

He hit the 'play' button and started nodding his head as a familiar seventies tune came on. He began to sing along, but lost interest quickly and took it off, setting it down. 

"Those are some good songs," he said, moving elsewhere to Rocket, who showed him the board full of buttons in levers in front of the two pilot seats. 

Gamora hung back, rubbing her biceps with her hands. Drax approached her and said, "He seems happy, Gamora."

"He can't be," she said, swallowing hard as she watched Peter laugh at something Rocket said and take a seat in the chair next to him. " Not without knowing who he really is. Other wise, he's just...not himself."

"Oh, man," Peter said, returning with Rocket. "April would love this guy. What's your name again, Dude?"

"Rocket," Rocket said, sounding less annoyed than he'd previously spoken to Peter over the past two days. "And this girl, April, she sounds cool too. You said she actually threw that guy's keys-" he started laughing. "In the trash?"

"So who is April exactly?" Drax asked, slyly side-glancing Gamora, who willed herself to pretend to be uninterested. 

"She's great," Peter said, picking up a metal sphere and opening it. It was empty so he tossed it over his shoulder as it no longer seemed to amused him. "We live together and she likes to play pranks on people and play with our dog and she always knows just what to say. And she microwaves ice cream at just the right time to make it easier to scoop out of the carton."

"You really like her, huh?" Rocket asked, grinning.

"Well, of course," Peter said. "She's my wife."

"WIFE?!" They all repeated in disbelief.

Peter blinked and then he grinned. 

"We actually got married a month after we started dating, but we've been together for five years now, it's crazy," he said.

Drax laughed and said, "Peter, you got married? That is both wonderful and disturbing because no woman would ever find you suitable for marriage."

Peter shrugged.

"Why not?" He asked.

"You are a flirt," Drax replied. "And irresponsible and you lay with many women, but have never committed to any of them."

Peter frowned slightly.

"I'm pretty committed to April," he said. 

"Maybe that's just something SHIELD did to you," Gamora said, and nobody missed the drops of venom in her voice. She looked away, arms crossed. "You would have never married a girl after a month of dating her before your accident."

It suddenly grew very quiet and awkward. Peter ran a hand through his hair and said, "Well, this has been great and all but I really should get back. Leslie's planning this big meteor shower thing and I didn't technically tell Ron I was taking the rest of the day off and-"

"Do you hear yourself?" Gamora suddenly snapped, making him jump a little. "You, Peter Quill, talking about getting back to mediocre office work and shoe shining and playing house with a wife and taking orders from people? You, Peter Quill, who helped save the entire galaxy and go on missions?"

"Gamora, chill out," Rocket said quietly.

"They did something to you here," she  continued, jabbing her index finger into his chest. "I don't know what, but you would never be content being stuck here like this. You wouldn't even be back here on Terra-"

She stopped when she saw the hurt and frightened look in Peter's eyes, like a child being scolded too hard. It suddenly made her feel terribly guilty and she took a step back, raking her fingers through her hair. 

"Peter, I'm so sorry," she said quietly. 

Nobody knew what to say then. For several seconds, they all sat in silence, staring anywhere but one another. 

"I should go," Peter said quietly. "Thanks for showing me your ship, guys."

"Your ship," Rocket said. "See you 'round, Quill."

Peter turned to Gamora, his hands falling helplessly at his sides.

"I'm sorry I don't remember," he said before turning and walking toward the exit of the ship. "Um, can someone let me out of here?"

\----------------

"Andy?" April opened the door when she heard his key go into groove on the knob. 

He pulled her against him and then kissed her. April leaned her head on his chest and asked, "What are we gonna do?"

When she pulled away, she looked up at him, studying his face. 

"Did you make dinner, Babe?" He asked.

April nodded and he followed her into the kitchen and grinned when he saw a big pot of homemade macaroni and cheese on the stove with strings of cheese dripping from the noodles. 

"I think I stress bake," April said, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Which is kind of cool I guess because now we have like four hundred peanut butter cookies to eat too."

"Can I have some cookies now?" Andy asked, eating the macaroni straight out of the pot.

April shrugged and pointed to the microwave.

After dinner, the two of them sat on the sofa, Champion halfway across their laps licking his paws.

"It doesn't matter if I ever remember,"  Andy said suddenly. "I belong with you."

"You mean here?" April asked. "On this dump planet?"

"I mean anywhere," he said, kissing her forehead, entwining their fingers together. 

 

To Be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Andy tossed and turned that night, falling into short fits of sleep that he continued to wake from. April sat up after the tenth time he accidentally elbowed her in the ribs. She stared down at him and he stared up at her, blinking.

"It's okay," she said, wiping sweat from his forehead with the heel of her hand and then on his pillow.

"I think I should take a walk," Andy said, climbing out of bed. "The more I see these people, I get these weird fragments of memories, but none of them make sense."

"Like where you're dissecting people?" April asked in a flat voice. "On a metal table?"

She climbed out of bed too and Champion hopped off along side her, wagging his tail. April put a hoodie on over one of Andy's t-shirts she wore as pajamas and slid on a pair of workout pants that were lounging around pants to her because working out was for happy people like Chris. Andy threw on a pair of jeans  and sneakers and grabbed his jacket. Together, they walked into the living room where Champion circled happily near the front door. Andy picked up his leash from the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room and squatted down to fasten it to his collar. 

It was a cool night in Pawnee and April and Andy huddled together as they walked Champion up and down the street. 

"So what do you remember?" April asked.

Andy sighed.

"Not much," he admitted. "I can see it all in my head, but it's like watching a movie that's super boring and you keep looking up at the screen and then Champion wants to play so you get up and walk away and someone asks you, 'Hey did you see that movie' and you did, but not really."

April didn't respond. She leaned her head on Andy's arm instead and slid her hands around his wrist. They continued to walk in silence, but both of their heads were buzzing. April knew that a billion thoughts, worries, and doubts were going through Andy's mind a mile a minute and it hurt her to know that. Andy wasn't cut out for that much stress. To him, everything was wonderful and people were good and smiles fixed everything. April loved that about him. While she was cynical and bitter, he could be positive enough for the both of them. 

When they made their third round around the block, they decided to head home. Once they got to the lawn, April stopped just short of the steps that led to the front door. She looked at Andy, who hung back.

"I'm just gonna sit out here a little bit," he said. 

April started to go back, but he shook his head.

"You go to bed, Babe," he told her. "I'll be in just a minute."

"I'll sit with you," she offered.

"You have work in the morning," he reminded her.

"So do you," she said.

"Yeah, but you can't sleep on the job like I can," Andy countered. He walked up to her and placed his hands on her slim, tiny shoulders. 

"I'll be okay," he said, pecking her lips. 

April looked away for a few seconds and opened her mouth to say something but changed her mind and closed it. She took the leash from him, toying with it in her hands and then headed back into the house. Andy sat down on the steps and stared up at the sky. The light pollution in Pawnee was too bad to actually see stars, but he stared up at the few that sparkled anyway. Some of them, he realized, might have actually been satellites. 

_Peter, take my hand_

That's what had prevented him from sleeping. He could see the sickly woman in the bed, reaching out to him, her eyes full of love and fear and sadness. He could feel his hand stuck to his side, rigid, because he knew if he took it, he would feel it go limp and cold in his own hand. He couldn't. If he just didn't do it, she would stay with him forever. She couldn't leave him if he didn't touch her in her fragile state.

_MOM!!!!!!_

Only she did, and he hadn't held her hand in her greatest time of need. He would never, ever go back to Earth. Not as long as he lived. Not after what he did. He was a horrible son. He didn't deserve Grandpa Quill's love and home. He didn't deserve his bedroom and his friends and his comic books and his favorite Ninja Turtle shirt with the hole in the armpit. 

"Mom..." He snapped back to reality, feeling something itch his cheeks. He touched them and was shocked to find they were tears. He was crying. 

It came flooding back to him and he rocked back and forth slightly, like it was being poured over his head, cold and uncomfortable. He saw his old room, his toys, his friends at school. He saw the Walkman. 

Oh, God. His Walkman.

_"I'm sick," his mother said as he finished his milkshake. They were sitting in the old station wagon. It was a nice surprise, his mom getting him out of school early and taking him to Dairy Queen. "But that will never stop me from loving you, okay?"_

_"Okay." He grinned, sticking his tongue through the gap in his teeth, proud of his newest missing baby tooth. "But you'll get better."_

_"I made you this mixtape," his mother said after several seconds of silence. "Some of these songs you already know, but I put some new ones that I think you'll really, really love. And-"_

_She retrieved a paper bag from the backseat and handed it to him. His eyes lit up when he took out what was inside._

_"It's a Walkman!" He exclaimed excitedly. "Just like Martin and Jack have!"_

_His mother nodded, smiling._

_"I want you take care of it okay?" She said, taking her thumb to remove some chocolate from the corner of his mouth. "Take care of it like it was me because you know there's no bigger fan of good music than me and you, right?"_

_He laughed._

_"Yeah," he replied, putting the headphones on over his years._

_"Mom?" He pulled them off quickly._

_"Yes, Honey-Button?" She ruffled his hair._

_"I'm gonna grow up and be a rock star," he informed her. "I'm gonna be in the greatest band in the world."_

_His mother laughed in a reassuring, affectionate way and said, "You're gonna do great things no matter what you do. I can see that in you."_

"Peter?"

He jumped a little and broke out of his trance to see Gamora.

"Gamora," he said, his brows furrowing slightly. 

He knew her name. He remembered her name. He stood up, wiping at his eyes furiously. The green woman cocked her head slightly and opened her mouth slightly. Her eyes suddenly widened as they stared into his and she knew. 

"You remember," she said quietly.

Peter licked his lips and nodded. Gamora's eyes filled with tears and she threw her arms around him, knocking some of the air out of him. Peter embraced her, suddenly missing her. Really and truly missing her. 

"What brought it back?" She asked into his chest. 

"I don't know," he said, releasing her. "Maybe you guys, maybe the stories you told me..."

He shook his head slightly. 

"My Walkman..." he said, swallowing. "My Walkman!"

"It's safe," Gamora said, gently touching his shoulders. "I've kept it safe for you."

"How can I understand you?" Peter asked, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "I don't have my implant anymore."

Gamora fished Rocket's jammer-looking device from the bag she was wearing across her body. Peter took it and inspected it, turning it over. Gamora smiled kind of slyly and dug something else out of the bag. Peter's eyes lit up.

His Walkman.

"Told you," Gamora said quietly. 

"So what have you guys even been doing?" Peter asked. "I mean, it feels like only yesterday I crashed, but it also feels like a million years. How's Nebula? How is  _everybody_?" 

Gamora grinned a little, taking his hands in hers. 

"We're fine," she said. "Everyone's fine. We've been looking for you."

Her smile faded as she looked down at their hands. 

"We couldn't stop," she said. "We just knew you weren't dead."

She looked back up and her voice cracked slightly as she asked, "What happened?"

Peter didn't know how to answer that. He pulled his hands away slowly, and he didn't miss the pain that flashed in Gamora's eyes for a second. He ran his hands through his hair instead and said, "That part I don't remember."

"Why did you come here?" She asked.

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug. "I have no idea. I just remember..."

_"Mr. Quill," the stranger said as he struggled to keep his vision straight. "My name is Phil Coulson. We're going to make you all better."_

Peter tried as hard as he could to dip into that blurry night. He remembered voices, an oxygen mask over his mouth, a quiet ride in an ambulance. He remembered slurring something about his ship, something about his friends.

"You left without saying a word to anyone," Gamora informed him, hugging herself as she took a few steps back, as if the memory stung her. "We just figured you had gone to see Yondu or something, but days passed and we didn't hear anything, and then weeks, and then months."

She said in a small voice, "And then never again."

Peter didn't know what to say. Gamora laughed a little as she ran a hand through her hair, but it was obvious nothing was very funny. 

"And here you are!" She said, her voice cracking even more. "On Terra! Shining shoes and getting married and being perfectly okay the whole time. Not dead, not kidnapped and sold into slavery, not lost in a black hole. You were never hurt or sick or scared. You just left that on all of us-"

She shut up quickly.

"I'm sorry I made you all worry," Peter told her. "I don't know why I came here or what happened when I did. Well, I know a little. Leslie's working on it. Something about SHIELD and-"

"It doesn't matter," Gamora said. "What matters is you ARE safe and you can come back. We can get you another translator, you'll have your ship back, there's tons of missions to go on..."

Peter shook his head as she spoke, his head shaking just as desperate as her voice rising. 

"I can't," he said. "I'm married. I have a life here."

"Shining shoes?" Gamora frowned, not wanting to mention anything about his marriage which made her so unhappy she wanted to punch him. 

"It's not just that," he said. "These people are my family."

He knew it was the wrong thing to say the second it tumbled out of his mouth. Gamora stared at him as if he'd smacked her in the face, hard. He opened his mouth to take it back, but she shook her head.

"Well, there's your Walkman," she said, turning hot on her heels and starting the other way.

"Gamora!" He jogged after her, grabbing her arm, but she jerked away.

"Have a nice life!" She said. 

"I didn't mean it that way," he said with a sigh. "Give me a break. I've been a different person for the past five years. I didn't know there was anything else."

Gamora didn't say anything.

"Give me a Goddamn break," he said quietly. "This is scary shit for me."

"Think of how we felt," Gamora retorted, her voice softening. She took his hand and nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It probably is very frightening for you."

Peter smiled a little half smile, one that Gamora hadn't seen in a long time, and she couldn't help but also smile as she squeezed his hand. She leaned against him, wishing more than anything that she could just rewind time and follow him that night. The night he vanished and they lost him.

The night  _she_ lost him. 

"Peter," she said, unsure of what else to say. 

She looked up at him and raised up slightly, pressing her lips to his. His warm lips she'd only experienced once-the day before he left for Terra. It had been completely unexpected, the two of them sitting side by side just outside of the ship, their bodies touching. They had laughed and joked and then just stared at one another for what seemed like minutes but realistically had only been seconds. And then their lips had met, short and sweet, but warm and right. 

He pulled away.

"No," he said, and the word cut deeper than she could have ever imagined. 

"April," he murmured, as if he was actually saying it to himself and not to her. 

He suddenly felt like he was falling down really fast even though he was standing still. He was Peter Quill. Andy Dwyer suddenly seemed as silly and ridiculous as Bert Macklin. Suddenly, Pawnee seemed like years ago, a distant memory.

They were both interrupted when the Milano flew down and landed right on the street, crushing half of Joe and Etta Gerber's car across the street. Rocket jumped out and said, "We got problems!"

"Rocket," Peter said quietly, grinning in spite of himself.

"What's going on?" Gamora asked.

"Chitauri," Rocket said. "They're comin' here. To this planet. An army of 'em. We need to get the ever lovin' frick outta here."

"Chitauri?" Peter frowned, his brows furrowing.

"I did a little research on your lovely kidnappers by the way," Rocket told him. "SHIELD. Terra's not as oblivious as I thought it was. Too bad it's about to be wiped out because this is the most primitive planet I've ever been on when it comes to fire power!"

Gamora looked at Peter, her eyes pleading.

"I'm not leaving," he said firmly and turned his attention to Rocket, and Drax and Groot who emerged from the ship. "Where are they planning on attacking?"

"Well, this nut job named Loki seems to be leadin' em," Rocket said as several holograms surrounded them and he began scurrying and jumping from panel to panel like crazy. "And he seems to have his sights on this place."

An image of the Statue of Liberty appeared. Peter's eyes moved around at the images for several seconds and then he said, "I'm gonna need my gear, my weapons. We don't have much time and I will not let that asshole with a reindeer bowl hat thing destroy my home planet."

"Yeah, Loki's after some pretty serious stuff you got here on this floating toxic waste ball," Rocket said, scrolling through more images. "And it looks like he might be workin' for Thanos."

All eyes shifted to Gamora now.

"We need to get moving," she said. "We have to stop him."

As Rocket talked more mumbo jumbo about the Chitauri, Peter ran into the ship and began looking around for everything he might need for battle. He found his old Ravager garb and stripped and put it on, having some difficulty with the boots as he hadn't worn them in so long.  Gamora followed him inside and said, "We need to leave now and head for that location."

"Yeah," Peter said, picking up one of his blaster guns.

Rocket, Drax, and Groot came back inside and Drax started to close the door of the ship. Peter set the blaster back down and ran over to it.

"Wait, wait, wait!" He said.

"We have to go!" Drax informed him.

"Just give me a minute, okay?" Peter said, a little hotly and ran back outside. He ran inside of his house and down the hall to his bedroom.

He stopped when he saw  April asleep on the bed, Champion curled up beside her in his spot. The dog looked up and yawned, wagging his tail. Peter smiled at him, putting a finger to his lips as he crept forward. Champion stretched and licked his face as Peter dipped down onto the bed. 

"April?" He whispered, shaking her gently, hating to do so. 

April stirred and rolled onto her back, blinking up at him. 

"Hi," Peter whispered, suddenly feeling like crying again.

With April, his name didn't matter. He knew who he was. He was hers.

"Hi," April said, her voice foggy with sleep. 

She sat up on her elbows and squinted sleepily. 

"What are you wearing?" She asked. 

Peter took her face in his hands and kissed her, never wanting to stop. 

"I love you," he said. "You're the most awesome, wonderful thing that's ever happened to me."

"Andy?" She frowned, gripping his wrists. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"

"I have to go," Peter said. "I have to go, well, save the world actually."

"What?" April got out of bed and he kissed her again.

"Andy!" She pushed him away. "What are you talking about?" 

"I'll be back," he said.

"Where are you going?" April demanded, fear slipping through her normal flat tone. "Andy!"

She followed him out of the bedroom and into the living room. 

"Some aliens are about to attack New York City and I have to stop them," He told her. "And no this isn't like my Transformers dream. It's real. Which sucks because I really want our car to be a Decepticon." 

"So you're leaving?" She asked.

The front door suddenly opened and the four strangers walked inside. First Drax, and then Groot with Rocket on his shoulder, and finally Gamora. April looked at them and then said, "Champion, Attack."

"No, Babe-" Peter took her by the shoulders. He wanted so bad to make her understand, but he knew she never could. He could barely figure it all himself. It was like he'd literally just woke up from a dream. 

"I remember them," he said. "And they're good guys, and they're going to help stop these uncool aliens."

"These ARE uncool aliens," she pointed out.

"Hey!" Rocket snapped. "We are totally cool!"

"I'll be back," Peter said quietly, placing his forehead to hers. 

April closed her eyes and tears started to slide down her cheeks. Peter kissed her and wiped the tears away with his thumbs.

"I love you," he whispered.

"Peter," Gamora told him, and he pulled away. 

To Be Continued...

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

"So where did Andy go again?" Ben asked, bringing cups of coffee into the living room. 

April had called and told Leslie what had happened and Leslie had called for everyone to join in the potential search, even Jerry. They all crowded in the Knope-Wyatt living room as Ben passed around cups of coffee. 

"He told me he had to go save the world from aliens or something," April said. "And then those weirdos showed up and took him."

"In a space ship?" Ben asked, brows furrowing.

April had already told him that part and she rolled her eyes. 

"You saw him leave in a space ship?" Ben asked, but it came out more like a statement. A skeptical statement. 

"I saw the ship," April said. "They really are aliens and they took Andy."

She played with sleeves of her hooded sweater, looking down at her hands. Leslie sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

"We'll get him back," she promised. 

She stood up and turned her attention to Ann and Jerry. Jerry had just started to reach for a doughnut from a box that Donna had brought with her, and Leslie slapped it out of his hand. He frowned at it on the floor. 

"Okay, talk," Leslie said. "No more secrets, Jerry. Andy's gone. This isn't a game anymore."

"I never said it was a game," Jerry said. "And honestly, there's not a lot I can tell you about SHIELD. I just did paperwork and delivered messages." 

There was a knock at the door and everyone jumped up at once, fighting each other to answer it. Leslie got to it first and stared at a friendly looking man in a suit. He smiled politely and said, "Ms. Knope, I presume?"

"Yes," Leslie said skeptically. "Who are you?"

"It's four-thirty in the morning," Ben said to the group, frowning. He was still in t-shirt and pajama pants for crying out loud.

The man retrieved a badge from his pocket and held it out for Leslie to see as he said, "My name is Agent Phil Coulson. I work for SHIELD."

"Phil!" Jerry beamed from the sofa where he was still seated, trying to get his doughnut from the floor. In the struggle, coffee dripped from his mug and onto his pants. 

"Hello, Jerry," Agent Coulson said, nodding at him. 

To Leslie he said, "I believe you tried to contact Tony Stark."

"I did," Leslie said, shifting uncomfortably. "I wanted to know...his thoughts on zoning laws."

"It's alright, Ms. Knope," Coulson said. "We know you were you trying to find out information about SHIELD."

He peeked past her and asked politely, "May I come in?"

Leslie wanted to say no, but this man  _was_ SHIELD, practically delivered to her door. She couldn't turn him away when he was possibly the only thing that could help them find Andy. She nodded and stepped aside, allowing him to enter. The others stared at him silently. Agent Coulson perched on the love seat beside Tom. 

"Would you like some coffee?" Ben asked, running a hand through his hair awkwardly. 

"Yes, please," Agent Coulson said.

Ben excused himself to go make some more. He knew with Leslie, this was all about to go down very hard and very fast. 

"I realize Mr. Dwyer has become aware of his true identity," Agent Coulson said.

"Okay, let's cut the neighborly chit-chat tone," Leslie said. "What on Earth is going on? Why is Andy someone else? Why are their aliens and talking raccoons and government secrets? You're the government! You should be honest and have no secrets!"

"We're not the government," Coulson explained calmly. "We're a private organization."

"Yeah," Ann said, sounding disgusted. "An organization that took everything from an innocent young man and threw it away."

"We did it for the greater good," Coulson said. 

"You erased his memory!" Ann shot back. "You changed his name, threw him in a random spot, and forgot about him!"

"We never forgot about him," Coulson said, annoyingly calm once again. "We've had tabs on Mr. Quill for a long time. When we felt his existence threatened mankind, we simply made a few adjustments to his life."

"A few adjustments?" Leslie's eyes went wide. "You call turning him into a different person and erasing his entire life 'a few adjustments'?"

Ben brought in the cup of coffee and offered it to him, but Leslie grabbed it in mid exchange, holding it up high. Ben hardly seemed phased.

"You don't deserve this coffee," she told him. "You don't deserve to sit on my sofa or be comfortable in my air conditioning or have the pleasure of sitting right across from my beautiful best friend, Ann!"

Ann's brows furrowed slightly at that, but she said nothing. 

"Who is Andy really?" Ron finally spoke up from his spot in the chair across from the sofa and love seat. 

Agent Coulson said, "His name is Peter Quill. He's someone that's been on our radar since he was a small child. He was abducted from this planet when he was eight years old and then we lost all traces of him until only about five years ago, and we weren't the only ones looking for him. Someone else is, and if they find him, Mr. Quill's very existence could threaten life as we know it. Everywhere throughout the universe."

"You do realize you're talking about Andy, right?" Ben asked, frowning slightly. "This is the same guy that Belgium was a type of candy."

April stood up suddenly and headed for the front door. The others grew concerned.

"April?" Leslie went after her, blocking the door. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

April shook her head, blinking back tears.

"I have to get out of here," she told Leslie, opening the door and hurrying out.

Leslie followed her, calling her name.

"April? April, wait!" 

She caught up to her on the sidewalk, grabbing her arm.

"Hey," she said gently. "What happened?"

April wiped at her eyes, shaking her head again.

"I just can't take all this stuff about Andy being Peter whatever and being some space god or whatever and how awful it was that he was put here and forced to live among us lame human types."

Leslie smiled a little and took April's face in her hands.

"He's still our Andy," she told her. "No matter what that eerily cheerful Coulson guy says, Andy is Andy. He's part of this family."

"No, he's not," April said, wiping at her eyes again. "He was different tonight. He knew who he was-he remembers everything now."

Leslie quit trying to reassure of anything anymore and pulled the younger woman against her instead, wrapping her arms around April's small frame. April actually hugged her back, and it hurt Leslie to know what that meant. 

That April was scared.

\----------

"I would like to ask some of you some questions," Agent Coulson said, taking out a reader device, finger at the ready. "If you don't mind."

"We totally mind," Tom said. "I'm not saying anything."

"Thank God," Ron said.

"About Andy," Tom said. "I will, however, talk about Tony Stark because Ann let it slip that he's SHIELD-tight and I've been trying to get a hold of him forever. So, first question, the facial hair."

Agent Coulson blinked and turned his attention to Ron.

"Can you please tell me when Mr. Dwyer began to voice his concerns about his real identity?" He asked. 

"I don't know," Ron said, crossing his arms. "Can I?"

"That's what I'm asking," Agent Coulson replied simply.

"Is that  _really_ what you're asking?" Ron asked, trying to sound suspicious.

"Yes," Agent Coulson said. 

"Yes what?" Ron asked.

"Look." Ann stood up, collecting empty coffee cups. "We're pretty upset about what's going on with Andy and these guys aren't going to give you any information because you're a threat to him."

"I mean no harm," Agent Coulson said. "SHIELD is not out to hurt him."

"You already did that," Leslie said, entering the house once more, slamming the door. She jumped a little and said, "Sorry, it's windy out there."

She stared down at Agent Coulson, shaking her head. 

"I don't know who Andy was before, but he's special to us. He's kind and has a good heart and there is a girl here that he would do anything for. He's not some asset you just tag and bag. I'm sorry, Phil, but you won't be getting any information from us."

Agent Coulson stood up and his phone vibrated suddenly. He held up a pointer finger apologetically and answered. 

"Yes, Sir?" He asked. He finally had some sort of facial expression other than polite bank teller. "When? I'll be right there."

He hung up and said, "If you give me any kind of information to his whereabouts, I can bring him back here."

\----------

April was still standing outside when Agent Coulson walked out of the house. She watched him as he went to a black car and he stopped when he opened the door, looking at her. 

"You must be April," he said. 

"No, I'm Hattie Birch. The crazy lady next door that kids call a witch and I steal their dogs out of their yards just to mess with them," she replied in a flat voice, pulling down the hood of her sweater.

"We haven't officially met," Coulson said, briskly walking over to her, holding out his hand. "We've been watching you, though."

"Get away from me or I'll go inside and tell Ron you exposed yourself to me," she told him.

"If you can help us find Mr. Dwyer," Agent Coulson said. "He'll be right here again, with you."

April looked at him. Agent Coulson held out a business card. 

"If you think of anything else," he offered.

April took it and tore it up into several pieces and then put the pieces in his suit jacket pocket. Agent Coulson looked at her, unphased but confused.

"By 'right here again' you mean you'll scramble his brain again," she said. 

"He would be safe-" Agent Coulson began and jumped a little when April screamed at the top of her lungs suddenly. 

"RON!" She shrieked. "THIS AGENT COULSON GUY JUST SHOWED ME HIS PENIS AND ASKED IF I WANTED TO TOUCH IT!!!!"

The front door opened so hard it cracked against the wall and Agent Coulson smiled, a little tightly this time and said, "Have a good night" before briskly walking back to his car and climbing inside. 

Ron had an axe as he jogged over to the car just as it drove away. 

 

\--------

 

"Nothing's happening," Gamora said as she moved away from the screen in the pilot area. 

The Milano was currently parked on the roof of the building adjacent to Stark Tower, reflective panels on to make it invisible. Peter was helping Rocket to build a weapon ensemble. He hadn't said much since they'd arrived in New York City. 

"Once we toast these guys," Rocket said, sounding bored. "I feel like gettin' off this planet. No offense, Quill, but what do you humies actually do? Churn butter? Watch wall paper dry?"

"What're you talking about?" Peter frowned. "This planet is great. Just last week I bought a slip'n'slide. April and I are gonna find a way to put it on a ramp from the roof into our pool. When we buy a pool, I mean."

Rocket stared at him for several seconds.

"Uh huh," he finally said.

He shook his head and then asked hotly, "And when the fuck did you get your memory back? Thanks for tellin' me! Or Drax! Or Groot!"

"Tell us how you and April met," Drax coaxed.

Peter grinned, almost a little shyly, and shrugged one shoulder as he loaded his blaster gun. 

"We worked together in the Parks department," he said. "I was tryin' to get with my ex-girlfriend and I just found myself around her all the time. I just couldn't stop thinkin' about her, you know? Then I asked her to marry me on a whim and she said yes and..."

His smile faded slowly and he seemed to be lost in thought. The others waited.

"And what?" Drax asked.

"And I told her I was the luckiest man in the galaxy," Peter said quietly, and then he let out a short, breathy laugh, shaking his head. 

Drax and Groot smiled warmly at that. 

"Maybe part of me just always remembered  _this_ ," he said with a small shrug. 

Gamora folded her lips in and stood up to go and check the screens again. Peter looked down at his blaster, feeling guilty. Drax placed a hand on his shoulder, and for once in his life, he didn't make a heartless, stupid comment. 

A noisy blast all over the ship sounded and Rocket jumped up.

"We got company!" He roared. "Finally! Some action on this dumb planet!"

Just as they began to exit the ship, a man in a red and gold titanium suit buzzed by. The Guardians exchanged looks and Rocket asked Peter, "You know that guy?"

"No." Peter shook his head. "Oh wait! Yes. That's Tony Stark. He's rich or something. I can't remember. I think he invented the Tesla."

"I say-" Rocket said, taking out some sort of device and entering information into it. "We open up a wormhole and send these suckers back."

"We can't attract too much attention here," Peter said. "I don't really want Leslie to know I'm missing work to fight aliens."

The other guardians stared at him in disbelief. 

"She's really big into this Meteor Shower thing," he said. "Alright, let's go!"

 

\----------

 

It was all over the news, every channel, every social media site. It was 9/11 all over again, only with aliens. Leslie and the others watched from the television in Leslie's home. None of them had left from early in the morning as Andy's disappearance practically had them on Knope-lockdown. For once, they were quiet, even Tom. Leslie and Ben sat side by side, holding hands. Jerry cried. Ron told everyone that he'd told them so. 

"And-" a news reporter said, just outside of the barricaded area. "We're just getting word that a new group of strangers have joined in the fight alongside Tony Stark and his mysterious band of heroes."

She shrieked suddenly when a man flew out of the sky and tumbled onto the ground behind her, the camera shakily moving as it followed him. He pressed a button on the side of his silver mask and it disappeared. 

"ANDY!" Everyone in Leslie's house yelled in disbelief together.

"Holy Cow!" Tom said. "That really is Andy! He's fighting aliens!"

"I always knew that boy was built for it," Ron said. "He's a solid, sturdy kid. It was either that or football." 

On the TV screen, Andy stood up, rubbing his head and the reporter raced up to him, clicking in her heels. 

"Sir?" She asked loudly. "Sir? What is your name? What's going on? Sir? Can you hear me?"

"What's going on?" Andy blinked, turning around at the smoldering destruction behind them. "Um...aliens are kind of attacking Earth. Some guy named Lucky."

"Can you describe him?" The reporter asked.

"Yeah, remember the Flintstones?" Andy asked. "That tiny guy in the green outfit?"

"The Great Gazoo?" The reporter's brows furrowed.

"He looks like that," Andy said, pushing a button to make his mask come back on. 

"Sir!" The reporter asked. "What is your name?"

"My name?" He froze before taking off. "Um...it's..."

April, sitting on Leslie's other side, squeezed the older woman's hand. Leslie squeezed back.

"Bert Macklin," he said, before jetting off. 

 

\--------------

 

They did it. They saved the galaxy _again_. The Guardians quietly slipped out of New York City and back onto the Milano before any real attention could be brought on them.

“It's good to have you back, Quill,” Rocket said, already fidgeting with things on the ship.

Drax moved past him, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze.

“Yeah...” Peter's smile stayed on his face, but he suddenly felt anything but happy.

He ran a hand through his hair and moved towards the front of the ship for the pilot's seat. Gamora followed him.

“Where are we going?” She asked.

“Back to Indiana,” Peter said, setting the coordinates.

“What?” She asked. “Even after all that just happened, you're still going back? Peter, it's _us_.”

Peter hated that he could hear the hurt in her voice. He hated it even more that he could remember the unspoken attraction between them before everything went, well, black in a sense. He knew that eventually, had he not lost his memory, he and Gamora would be a thing. She knew it too.

“I know,” he said. “But I can't just leave everyone hanging. I mean, Hell, they probably saw me on TV.”

“But you're coming back?” She asked skeptically. “To space? With us?”

Peter didn't answer, but instead scrubbed a hand down his mouth. Now that he remembered everything-now that he wasn't lost the way he'd been as Andy Dwyer, he knew that he just couldn't stay on Earth in Pawnee, especially when there were threats to his home planet far out in space.

 

\-------------------

 

April sat on the couch, a bottle of untouched wine on the coffee table. Champion hobbled up to her and licked her hands, which were folded on her lap. Absent-mindedly, she petted him. She had been sleeping on the couch for the past two nights, following the news of the alien attack in New York City. It was over now, and most of the weirdos who'd stopped it had dispersed and disappeared. She laid down on her side, Champion attempting to curl up at her feet the way he did at the foot of their bed. She had taken the comforter from the bed and one of the pillows and curled into a ball, staring sleepily at the front door. She pulled the shirt she'd also brought from their bedroom closer to her face, inhaling its musky scent. It was Andy's shirt.

It was several hours later when she awoke to Champion sitting up abruptly and hopping off of the sofa to the sound of the front door unlocking. Tossing the comforter aside, she also hopped off the couch and made her way to the door, pulling it open.

“Hi,” Peter said sheepishly, pulling his key from the door.

April looked him up and down. He was wearing a weird maroon leather jacket and strange looking boots. Her eyes moved from his boots all the way to his face. He opened his mouth to say something and she cut him off, throwing her arms around him, and for the first time that she could remember, began sobbing. Not loudly. That would be lame. She buried her face in his shirt, gripping onto the strange coat.

“Babe.” He wrapped his arms around her. “It's okay. I'm fine. We're all fine.”

“I didn't know if you'd come back,” she said, pulling away, wiping at her eyes. She looked away and said shakily, “I thought you might have ran off with your lame space friends.”

“No.” Peter shook his head, smiling at her, kissing her lips. He took her hand and led her to the couch, collapsing on it with a loud groan.

“I did save the world though,” he told her, toeing off his boots.

“Why?” She asked with a straight face, sitting on his lap. “Just so I can destroy it later?”

They stayed together for several minutes in silence, the only sound being Champion licking his private parts nearby. They watched him.

“So you remember everything now?” April asked, tucking her head under his jawline as he stroked some of her hair. “About being a space pirate or whatever?”

“Yeah,” Peter said quietly.

“And you remember those weirdos who came looking for you?”

“Mmhmm.”

“I hate them.”

“I know you do.”

April sat up to face him. She studied his face, folding her lips in before looking away. She then smacked him hard in the chest. He let out a cross between an 'ow' and a laugh.

“Talk to me,” she said, straddling him. “You can't just come home after remembering you're from another planet or something wearing some weird outfit after saving the world from aliens and not say anything.”

Her hair was messed up and she wasn't wearing any make up and dressed only in one of his big t-shirts and a pair of panties. She had never looked so beautiful, he thought suddenly.

“Do you have a bunch of alien babies somewhere?” April asked. “Can I contact space herpes from you?Did you give Ann space herpes? Can we give Jerry space herpes?”

“What's with the space herpes?” Peter laughed, rubbing his hands up and down her skinny tan arms. “I don't have a bunch of alien babies.”

April continued to stare at him.

“I was abducted by ravagers when I was eight,” Peter said quietly. “A guy named Yondu. They raised me as a thief and then I found this orb that contained a bunch of power and stopped this evil dude from using it to wipe out the universe.”

“You should have let him,” April said. “I'll bet it would have looked really cool. Plus I hate everyone in the universe.”

Peter grinned a little, and then licked his lips. His memories were crystal clear now, like he'd woken up from a dream-a really good dream as his life in Pawnee had been nothing short of amazing, but actually talking about his true past...it was almost difficult.

“My name is Peter Quill,” he said, almost feeling guilty about those words coming out of his mouth.

April started to pull away from him, tugging her arms and removing her legs.

“Babe-” he said, letting her go as she stood up.

She ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair and walked away. Peter stood up and moved to go after her. She went to the bathroom and he stopped her from closing the door.

“April,” he said.

“I have to pee,” she said and closed the door.

When she came out, she found him at the kitchen table, playing with his hair. He looked more tired than she'd ever seen him. She went to the freezer and took out a box of Eggos. She placed them in the toaster and pulled out the maple syrup from the pantry and can of whipped cream from the fridge. She toasted herself two waffles and four for him, piling them both high with whipped cream and syrup. She wordlessly set his down in front of him. He seemed surprised by the gesture.

“I thought you were mad at me,” he said.

“I guess I'm happy you're not dead,” she replied in a flat tone. “Champion would be an orphan.”

“He'd still have you,” Peter pointed out.

April shook her head.

“I'd go crazy and start luring men here to their deaths until I got caught and they gave me death by electric chair,” she told him.

After they ate, Peter took their dishes and said (almost awkwardly), “I'm gonna take a shower.”

“Okay.” April looked at him from her spot at the table.

Peter leaned down and kissed her. It was all so frightening, he realized, to find the part of him that had been missing and he felt he was beginning to lose the part he'd become. It terrified him to the point of sweating that April might be in that mix. He couldn't lose April.

After several minutes of being in the shower, just letting the hot water run over him, he heard the bathroom door open and then the shower curtain opened. April stood in front of him, sliding her underwear down and off and then removing his t-shirt over her head. Peter grinned.

“You have a bunch of cuts on your back,” April said over the running water.

“Yeah, those Chituari were assholes,” Peter replied.

“It's really gross,” April told him. “I love it.”

 

\----------------

 

After their shower together and sex in the shower and then more sex on the bed, they lay together on the comfortless bed, huddled only under the sheet for warmth.

“Are you going back with them?” April asked, snuggling up against him.

“I need to,” Peter said, rolling on his side to face her.

There was hurt in her eyes, but April was not the kind of girl to beg and plead. That was one of the amazing things about her. The other amazing thing was, well, everything else.

“Come with me,” Peter said.

“To outer space?” April asked, not even sounding surprised like most fiancees would.

“It's dark,” Peter said. “Cold. If there's even a tiny crack in the ship, the oxygen gets sucked out of our bodies and we all die a terrible death.”

He kissed her, slow and deep this time.

“So I know you'd love it,” he said pulling away.

“Can I kill monsters?” April asked.

“Of course,” Peter said.

“Can I feed your friends to monsters if they annoy me? Which they probably will because they're stupid and I hate them?”

Peter made her almost yelp when he climbed on top of her, staring down at her.

“I am the luckiest man in the galaxy,” he said, kissing her again.

 

\----------

Peter had never been hugged so many times in his life. When he returned to work with April the next morning, nobody would let him go. Even Ron gave him a hug, and Andy hugged him so tight that Ron coughed a little. 

"That was so cool how you smoked those aliens!" Tom told him, slapping him on the shoulder. "I mean, WOW!"

"And then throwing Macklin in the mix? On live television," Donna added. "Pure gold."

"Alright, somebody give me some handcuffs," Leslie said. "Because Andy is never, ever, evereverever getting away from us again. You're grounded forever."

Peter laughed at that, but he felt terribly guilty. He was abandoning this home, this family, just like he'd done with Gamora and the others. Just as he'd done with Yondu and the Ravagers. Just as he'd done when he'd been old enough to fly a cruiser and never bothered to return to Earth in the first place. He felt some of that guilt leave him when he felt April take his wrist in her hands, leaning against him. 

\-----------

The Meteor Shower Jamboree was perfect. Leslie, of course, made it perfect in terms of planning, but it was the people there that made it perfect. Peter had felt for days as if he were one of those chariot riders in ancient Rome, each foot on a different cart being pulled by horses, pulling him in two different directions. He was Andy Dwyer, but not really. He was Peter Quill, but also not really. He could not live both lives forever.

It didn't matter that night. The Meteor Shower was beautiful, and Andy stared up at it, surrounded by his Earth family, lying on a blanket beside April. The stars looked more beautiful from Earth than they ever had from space. 

 

\-------------------

 

“What do you mean 'she's coming with us'?” Rocket asked in disbelief as they worked to repair parts of the Milano that needed repair.

“I mean she's coming with us,” Peter said simply. “She's my wife. We're married.”

“I don't know about this, Peter,” Gamora said as she walked by. “Things can get tricky if you take someone who's never traveled off of their planet. It's a big change.”

“Yeah,” Peter said, almost scoffing. “I was eight when it happened to me. AND my mom had just died.”

“I am Groot,” Groot said.

Rocket nodded and turned to Peter.

“Yeah,” he said. “What skills _does_ this girl have?”

“She makes a kickass grilled cheese sandwich,” Peter said. “And she's good at sex, but that doesn't apply to anyone but me.”

Rocket shook his head as he tore something off the wall and inspected it.

“Is that what you're bringin' her for? To save some money on some space port tricks?” He snickered. “Bring your own from home?”

Peter frowned.

“I'm bringing her because I love her,” he said. “It was either that I stayed.”

They all looked at him, even Drax.

“You would've stayed on Terra?” Rocket asked, but it sounded more like a statement. A statement he didn't believe. “After remembering everything, you would've stayed on this boring planet?”

“For April, yeah,” Peter said, sure of himself.

“That must be really good sex,” Rocket said.

“It's more than that,” Peter said, frowning as started walking around inspecting odds and ends. “You wouldn't know.”

Rocket snickered again, shaking his head.

“No I wouldn't,” he said.

Gamora looked at Peter with a certain sadness in her eyes, but she managed to smile.

“I'm glad you found happiness there,” she said, sounding forced.

Peter wanted to apologize to her, but he knew that would not do any good. He would be apologizing for ending something that never even happened.

 

\----------

 

“Babe?” Peter asked, entering the house, petting Champion who came to greet him. “You ready?”

He looked around, but did not see April.

“Hey, when's Chris coming to get Champion?” He called.

He found April asleep on their bed and immediately regretted his loud tone. Next to her, scattered around, were several photographs. Some were of just the two of them and some were the two of them in groups of other people. Peter picked one up.

“Babe?” He sat down and shook her lightly. “April?”

She stirred and looked up at him. He leaned down and kissed her.

“Andy?” She stretched, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes.

It took him several seconds to say, “Yeah, it's me. Who else would I be?”

 _I'm Peter Quill_ , he thought, and even in his head his voice sounded small.

“I didn't know what I needed for space travel so I didn't pack anything,” she said. “Except for boring stuff like clothes and underwear and some boxes of macaroni and cheese because I don't think they'll have that in space and that's your favorite after dinner snack.”

Peter grinned.

“It's only for four months,” he said.

April tried to hide her own smile.

“How come you want me to come with you now that you're Star Pants or something?”

“Starlord,” Peter said with a weak groan. Maybe he could stand to change his outlaw name.

“Whatever, it's stupid,” she said, climbing off of the bed, gathering up the photographs.

He caught her glance at one, and a pained expression crossed her face. It was hard for both of them he knew, for his past to return and take over his present. He got up and quietly moved across the room to pick something up off the dresser.

“Chris should be coming for Champion soon,” she said, her back turned to him and she tucked the photographs away in her bag. “I hope he doesn't forget us in four months. I also kind of hope he eats Chris.”

She turned around and did not see Peter. Her brows furrowed slightly. She walked out of the bedroom and bumped into him, literally. He stared down at her. She frowned up at him.

“You said something about Starlord?” He said in a serious tone. “That was just...a code name.”

April stared at him.

Peter put on his shades and said, “I was doing some undercover work in space, protecting...the president of the moon. My real name's Bert Macklin. FBI.”

The grin that spread across April's face was almost contagious. He grabbed her by the arms and said, “And in my undercover work I was told that you might be a threat to that job.”

“The president of the moon was just a rouse,” April told him, pretending to struggle. “The real leader of the moon is the evil overlord, me, Janet Snakehole. I won the moon in a crooked poker game. Now I rule with an iron fist and we're going to take over the earth and make everyone mine for diamonds.”

Peter fake gasped.

“Of course!” He said. “Diamonds are what keep the moon people strong!”

“You're too late,” April said, smirking. “The moon and the Earth belongs to me, Macklin. There's nothing you can do.”

“Miss Snakehole,” Peter said, picking her up, making her fake-shriek. “For your crimes against the galaxy, I'm takin' you to space jail. Once you spend a night or two...or sixty-eight there, you'll be ready to reveal those moon secrets.”

“No! No!” April cried. “I can't go back to space jail! Please, Mr. Bert Macklin!”

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Peter set April down and murmured into her ear, “I'm not through with you, Snakehole.”

As he walked away to go answer the door, April felt herself grinning stupidly and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. He was still Andy, but the way he'd spoke into her ear like that, Andy Dwyer had never been that smooth, not even in a game of Macklin/Snakehole role play. As Peter Quill had he been some kind of intergalactic womanizer?

She hated to think about _Peter Quill_. She could tell how hard he was trying to behave in usual oafish way, but he wasn't fooling her any more than he was himself. Peter Quill was not a complete bumbling idiot like Andy Dwyer.

“Babe,” he came back into the room. “Chris is here. Come say goodbye to Champion. We won't see him for four months.”

“I'm not going,” she said darkly.

Peter's face fell.

“What?” He moved over to her. “What's wrong? What happened?”

He reached out to touch her and she flinched away. She hadn't meant to and when she looked at his face, she instantly regretted doing so. There was so much hurt in his eyes, and that hurt was unmistakably Andy.

“This is just weird and stupid and I hate it,” she told him. “We've both been acting like nothing is different except space or whatever, but I know with your memories back you're not the same as before.”

Peter nodded slowly and April felt tears sting her eyes.

“You're right,” he said. “It's...different...now that I remember.”

April quickly and quietly wiped at her eyes. This was the worst way they could possibly break up, she thought.

“I'm different,” he said. “Ish. My history, my friends, my family situation...”

He took April by the shoulders and said, “But you know what's kept me sane through all of this?”

He leaned his head down to touch his forehead to hers.

“All this stuff that's changing,” he told her. “You and me-we're not.”

“Yes, we are,” April said, pushing him away. “The more memories you get back, you'll remember some girl from space and she'll probably have like eight eyes or something and be cooler than me and you won't wanna do this with me anymore.”

“The second I got my memories back,” Peter told her. “All I could think of was you. I think this whole accident happened just so I could find you.”

He pulled her back against him and she wrapped her arms around him.

“And if you don't go to space,” he said. “then neither do I.”

 

To Be Continued...

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! I live! I'm writing fanfiction again! I hope you guys are ready for the next chapter. Any ideas, feel free to shoot me in the comments and I will try and respond to all comments ASAP. Thanks!

Gamora couldn't help but feel jealousy boil deep in the pit of her stomach as Peter helped April into the ship. His eyes were lit up like a young child's as the terran girl looked around, taking everything in. She was looking at things on the ship, but he was looking at her.

“Pretty cool, huh?” He asked with a laugh that didn't normally sound like him as he kissed the side of her head.

“Your ship is dirty and disgusting,” April said, staring at him. “I love it.”

“I knew you would,” he told her.

The Guardians frowned at that exchange. Drax looked at Gamora for clarification, but she only shrugged and pretended to be busy doing other things.

“So where to, Quill?” Rocket asked.

“Oh, April,” Peter said, snapping his fingers. “You remember Rocket.”

He pointed at each one as he introduced them, “Drax, Gamora, and Groot.”

"Hello, April," Drax said, holding out his hand. "We've heard so much about you."

"Too much about you," Rocket grumbled.

Drax nodded.

"Indeed," he agreed. "Quill has told us about his sexual activities with you. You might just be his favorite sexual conquest."

"Dude!" Peter said, his brows furrowing.

April tucked some hair behind her ear and nodded, unsure of what to say to that.

"That's really gross," she finally said, glancing at her husband, who ran a hand through his hair awkwardly.

Peter took her by the hand and said, "Come on. I'll show you our room."

"That's where they'll be having intercourse," Drax whispered loudly to the others.

"Stop!" Rocket and Gamora said together.

Peter dragged April up the small flight of grated stairs to the first door at the top. He pressed in a code on the keypad and it opened. It was smaller than a bedroom, with a steel loft bed, small locker on the opposite wall, and a variety of clothes, weapons, and other strange items littering the floor.

"Let me go grab your bags," Peter said, kissing her temple. "Make yourself at home."

April moved around the room, taking it all in. At home, they had a large bed and a box air conditioning unit that hummed loudly at night. Between Andy's snoring and the box fan, it was pretty loud, but April was comforted by the noise. This room seemed incredibly small and silent. Peter returned with their things and smiled-a little nervously, but a little proudly too.

"What do you think?" He asked, shrugging.

"It's small," April said.

"Yeah, but we'll hardly be in here," Peter said. "Come on. We're about to blast out of here."

April followed him out of the small quarters and back down the stairs. Groot smiled warmly at April, growing a flower out of his hand, and offered it to her. April took it and smiled back.

"That's so cool," she said.

"I am Groot," Groot responded.

"He says you smell very nice," Rocket said, already working on some sort of control panel.

"And you smell like mine and Andy's bathroom," April said.

"We have one of those Glade wall plug-ins," Peter explained. "Big Sur scented, I think."

"Quill, we ready to get off this rock or what?" Rocket asked. "We got shit to do, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Peter grumbled, moving to join him.

"So where to?" Gamora asked, and April didn't miss the way she sauntered over to stand next to Peter, who was leaning over the console, so close they were almost touching. 

"Let's just get into space for right now," Peter said. "Should get signal once we're up there. Somebody's bound to need somethin'."

He stood upright and turned to April, grinning from ear to ear. He moved to take her by the hands and asked, "You ready?"

April shrugged.

"Sure," she said, dead pan. "Whatever."

Peter laughed and kissed her, pulling her over to a chair, sitting down in it. He pulled her onto his lap and exclaimed, "My wife's goin' to space with me!"

"Ready for the jump?" Rocket asked.

"Let's go!" Peter bellowed.

April felt herself grab onto him as the ship suddenly jolted. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before. Once the ship was steady again, the scene through the windshield and windows were absolutely beautiful. Dark and speckled with blinking lights. It was purple and black, dark and light at the same time, with so many stars. More stars than she could have ever imagined existed.

"It's okay, Babe," Peter murmured, and April loosened her grip on him.

She climbed off of his lap and pulled him up too, making him chuckle softly. He held her hand all the way to one of the larger windows.

"It reminds me of you," he told her.

"Because it's so dark and unforgiving?" She guessed.

"Because it's so beautiful," he said.

"That's just stupid," Rocket said, shaking his head. He then sat up a little straighter as a loud beeping sound started.

"We got a ship tailin' us," Rocket said. "It's huge."

"What?" Gamora joined him at one of the screens.

Peter moved away from April to join them too.

"The Elector," he said. "It's Yondu."

"Why has he not announced himself yet?" Drax wondered out loud.

Peter shrugged and hurried up the small flight of stairs to grab his blaster. He put on a space suit and pack and put on his mask.

"Andy," April said. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back, Babe," he told her. "Rocket! Drax! You comin'?"

"I'll stay here and monitor," Gamora said and then barked, "they're preparing to fire! Go! Go!"

As soon as they all left, Gamora began doing the things on the control panel. April stood by, wondering what to do.

"So are we all about to die or something?" She asked in a flat voice.

Suddenly, a loud noise sounded and Gamora picked up a gun.

"The Ravagers got in," she said, hurrying away.

April suddenly screamed when someone grabbed her from behind. A large, ugly man with terrible body odor.

"Not a word out of you, Lass!" He snarled.

"She's cute," another said, coming from another part of the ship, along with several others.

"Well, well, well," someone said, finally coming along.

He was blue with red eyes, toying with an arrow between his hands.

"Where's Quill?" He asked the others. "I thought you said he was spotted."

"He was!" The one holding April said.

"This one ain't one them guardians," another accused. "She might have information on 'im, Cap'n."

The blue man finally seemed to notice her for the first time, his brows furrowing.

"No, she ain't," he agreed.

He took slow, striding steps towards her and sniffed her.

"She sure as hell smells like Quill," he said.

He nodded at the man holding her and ordered, "Let 'er go."

The man complied. April stumbled away from them, breathing hard. She wasn't sure what to do. Everyone had left her.

"Yer terran, aint'cha?" The man asked.

April didn't answer him.

"You from Terra?" He asked again.

April still said nothing. She had no idea what he was saying for one thing, but she could tell by his tone at the end of his sentences that he was asking questions.

"She don't understand, Cap'n," One of the men said.

"She's terran," the captain said, nodding.

April jumped slightly as long vines suddenly extended and begin throwing the strange men around. Groot entered the area, along with Gamora, who held up her gun. The captain whistled and the arrow he'd been fiddling with flew into the air. Gamora dropped her gun and held up her hands.

"Rocket's translator," Gamora said. "Turn it on, Groot."

Groot moved to press a button on the console.

"Where is Quill?" The captain asked, and April frowned, realizing he was speaking in English now.

"He's on the Elector looking for you!" Gamora spat back, her arms still raised.

"He's here?" The captain asked.

"I'm here, you blue doofus," Peter said, half flying, half landing into the ship. He removed his mask by pressing the button on the side of his head. He took April by the arm and pulled her to his side, moving to stand half in front of her.

April watched as the blue man's scowl turned into a broad grin, and he hooted with laughter.

"Where you been, boy?!" He cackled, moving to pull Peter in a bone-crunching embrace. He then scuffed him upside the head, hard. He did it a second time.

"Huh?" He demanded. "Where were you? Been lookin' for yer no good ass for five years!"

"Ow!"

Peter rubbed his head, pulling away, stumbling backwards a little.

"I somehow wound back up on Terra and got amnesia and didn't get my memories back until a few months ago," he said, still rubbing his head.

"It's true," Gamora confirmed. "He had no idea who he was."

"And whossis?" Yondu asked, pointing his arrow in April's direction.

"Ted Bundy," April replied. "Serial Killer."

"This is April," Peter said.

"You really expect me to believe that you been on Terra this whole time?" Yondu asked skeptically.

"He was working as a shoe shiner," Drax said.

"He's betrayed us!" The man who had grabbed April said, pointing a finger. "That's what he did!"

"Oh, be quiet, Taserface," Another said, more human looking with the rest except for his jagged teeth.

"Your name's Taserface?" April asked.

"Yes!" He growled.

"Why?" April asked, sounding bored.

Taserface raised up his arms and boomed, "It strikes fear into the hearts of those who hear it! Those who die by my hands!"

"That's stupid," April said simply and turned to Peter. "Can he be the new Jerry? Space Jerry?"

Peter busted out laughing and April smiled a little.

"Space Jerry!" He said, pointing.

"Who's Jerry?" Taserface asked, his brows still furrowed, but he was more confused than angry now.

"Shut up, Jerry," April said and Peter laughed even harder.

Rocket was laughing too.

"Taserface!" He repeated, catching his breath.

"I'll bet people would have been more scared if your name was Taserbreath," April told him.

"Or Taserfarts," Peter added, and they all started laughing.

Yondu whistled to get everyone's attention.

"We need to sort all this out," he said.

\------------

"I love this girl!" Yondu laughed, drunk, as the Ravagers and the Guardians drank together on the Elector.

"Thanks," April said. "I love me too."

They had been drinking for hours after Peter had told them everything that had happened, well, almost everything. April had been her usual, apathetic, unapologetic self making fun of them. Taserface had run out of ways to try and intimidate her and simply nursed his own drink, glowering at her.

"Quill, c'mere, Boy," Yondu said, gesturing, swaying side to side.

Peter got up and moved to stand next to him.

"Closer," Yondu slurred, pulling Peter down so he could speak in a hushed tone.

"You..." he said. "You marry this girl, you hear me? You marry her."

"Um..." Peter grinned.

"She took good care of you while you were on Terra," Yondu said. "This here's a strong, solid woman and you gon' marry her."

"Yeah," Peter said. "About that."

He showed Yondu his hand, where there was a ring on his third finger.

"Wassat?" Yondu sloshed.

"Oh, well, on Terra, when you get married, you exchange rings," Peter explained.

"Oh yeah?" Yondu asked, but it came out sounding like 'uh yuh'.

Peter nodded. "Mmhmm."

It took several seconds for Yondu to understand what Peter was trying to tell him. His face lit up like a Christmas tree and he began to laugh, pounding Peter on the shoulder.

"You sum'bitch!" He slurred, kissing the side of Peter's head. "Hey, listen up! Quill's hitched! That there's his wife!"

The other Ravagers made an odd drunken chorus of whistles and 'oohs'. Peter laughed, turning red, and April got up from her seat to stand next to him. The Ravagers cheered and hooted, "Quill! Quill! Quill!"

"To Peter and April Quill!" Kraglin said, thrusting his mug out, liquor sloshing out.

"Man, I missed you guys," Peter said. "But it's true. I know Ravagers don't typically get hitched and settle down, but I'm lucky to have April."

He looked at her.

"She means the world to me."

\--------------

It was late and they were tired by the time they got back onto the Milano. The others were already in their sleeping quarters. Peter and April, still a little tipsy, tripped over things and giggled loudly as they fumbled around in the dark, unfamiliar area. Unfamiliar to April because she had never been there. Unfamiliar to Peter because it had been a long time.

"Watch your step," Peter said as he helped her up the stairs.

When they got to their room, they started kissing like crazy, April relaxing herself into the curve of his body.

"Babe," he said, catching his breath. "I'm so glad you came with me."

"The Ravagers are pretty cool," she said. "Not Space Jerry, but the other ones."

Peter pulled off one boot, and then the other, stumbling slightly.

"Babe, you got really drunk," April said.

"Terran liquor doesn't hold a candle to what's up here," Peter said, working on his pants now.

"Terran?" April frowned, and then she was suddenly back to that dark place she'd been keeping pushed deep down inside.

The place that reminded her that Andy was not Andy. He was Peter Quill. Without realizing it, she was backing away from him as he came closer.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm just tired," she said. "I wanna go to bed."

Peter nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "Okay."

He started to take her again.

"Let me just put you up there-"

"Don't!" April snapped and he backed off instantly.

She immediately felt ashamed and regretted it.

"April?" He asked gently.

"I feel like I'm losing you," she said quietly, hoping he wouldn't hear it, but she needed to get the words out so badly.

"What?" He asked. "No. No, you're not losing me."

"I'm trying, Andy," she said, her throat clotting. "I promise you I am, but it's all familiar up here for you and...you said 'terran' and..."

"That's just what they call people from Earth," Peter said. "It was just an accident-"

"It wasn't!" April said. "And...it's okay...you're _you_ now."

She hugged herself, longing to hug him, but things were just so mixed up right now. Peter sighed and finally put his arms on her waist.

"C'mon," he said gruffly. "Let's get you into bed."

April allowed him to help her onto the top bunk. She didn't lie down, but just sat on it, her legs dangling over the side.

"I'm sorry." She wiped at her eyes, tears beginning to fall freely now.

Peter moved to shut the door quietly. He hit something on the keypad that was opposite the keypad on the outside. He turned and asked, "Would you rather me find somewhere else to sleep?"

"No, don't be dumb," she said. "Come here."

Peter climbed up, grunting as he hoisted himself up, and she laid down. He laid down next to her.

"I'm really scared," he admitted. "I feel like I'm losing me too, and Pawnee..."

April held his hand. Peter brought their entwined hands together and kissed hers. He rolled onto his side, playing with some of her hair.

"What I'm scared of most is losing you," he said, and April could hear the hurt in his voice.

April rolled onto her side to face him.

"Hey, do you remember that time it rained for like, two whole weeks in Pawnee and everything flooded?" Peter asked.

"Leslie acted like the world was ending," April replied.

"And I bought a kayak and we actually went around the neighborhood in it?" Peter grinned. "The neighbors were looking at us like we were nuts, but they were really just jealous."

April snuggled up against him.

"The kayak tipped over," April said. "That water was so cold and we were in our pajamas."

She smiled, remembering shivering so hard that her teeth were chattering. Andy had picked her up, wading through the waist high water all the way back to their house. Andy had turned on the shower and they'd both shivered under the hot water, talking about how they were going to go do it again later in the day.

April kissed him then and Peter kissed her back, slow and deep.

"You'll never lose me," he said. "You'll never lose Andy Dwyer. You'll never lose Bert Macklin. You just have a new guy. Peter Quill. Starlord."

"That's lame," April said and Peter ducked his head, laughing quietly.

"But I kind of like it," she continued. "Maybe I need a lame space name too."

"Princess Moon?" He guessed.

"No." April pondered it. "I'll be Andromeda, Queen of Pluto seeking revenge because they took away her planet status."

"Uh oh," Peter said, kissing her neck, still laughing.

"And as Queen Andromeda," she said in an exaggerated voice, sitting up. "I will take revenge on the galaxy by...stealing all of the stars, 'Starlord'."

"There's too many," Peter said. "You couldn't take all the stars. Where would you even keep them?"

"I have a vault inside of Mars," April said. "It's where I keep all the stars."

"I won't let you do that," Peter said. "Without the stars...um..."

April helped him out.

"Yes, I know! Without stars, the planets won't rotate around the sun, but that's too bad! The universe will be dark! Dark like Pluto! Dark the spot where Terra erased my name!"

"No!" Peter said, extra dramatically. "I won't let you!"

"Nobody cares about Pluto!" She replied. "Why shouldn't I?"

"I care about Pluto," Peter said. "What would they name Mickey's dog without it?"

"Starlord," April said. "Show me you care. Show me you care and take me right here."

Peter paused. April frowned.

"What?" She asked in her normal voice.

"That was seriously the hottest thing anybody's ever said," he told her, kissing her.

"Starlord," she repeated as his mouth trailed all over her.

She hesitated and then said in her normal voice, "Starlord."

\---------------

"Mornin'," Peter grumbled, moving to the little kitchenette the next morning, scratching himself through his sweat pants.

"Good morning, " Drax said, sharpening a knife. He was looking at Peter with raised eyebrows. He exchanged glances with Rocket.

"Thin walls you have on this ship," Rocket said casually, like he was talking about the weather.

Peter poured himself a cup of coffee. He blinked sleepily.

"Starlord," Rocket snickered.

Peter rolled his eyes.

"Come on," he said, turning his attention the coffee maker.

"I can see why she pleases you," Drax said approvingly.

"Or he can HEAR you rather, "Rocket said and he and Drax began to laugh.

"Oh, grow up," Gamora said, entering the kitchen area, which was a lot smaller and more crowded than Peter remembered. He had to turn sideways to allow her to fit to move past him.

April came down the stairs and Gamora had to look away. She looked tiny the way she was wrapped up in Peter's t-shirt, wearing his red ravager jacket. It was the short one, but it still swallowed her.

"Mornin', Babe," Peter murmured, kissing her on the lips. "Coffee?"

"April." Drax nodded at her.

There was an awkward silence that hung around.

"So..." Rocket asked, tinkering with a gadget. "You sleep good last night? First night in space?"

April nodded.

"Heard a lot of tossin' and turnin'," he said. "Thought maybe you couldn't get comfortable."

Peter handed April her own cup of coffee.

"That was us having sex," she said.

Peter grinned at them. April waited for Drax to take another sip of his coffee and then she added, "He said since it's his ship we're going to do it in all of your beds. We might have already started."

"You'd better not!" Rocket snarled at Peter.

"Relax," Peter said. "Your bed's covered in fur and Drax..."

He looked at Drax.

"It'd just be weird," he finally said.

"So we have a mission," Gamora said. "Stopping some pirates. You in, Peter?"

Peter nodded.

"I thought you were a pirate," April said.

"He used to be," Gamora said before he could answer. "A lot happened and he's different now."

April didn't miss the stare she gave her, even if it was only for a split second.

"You can stay here, if you like, " Gamora continued. "Get to know the ship. It's pretty dangerous out there."

"It really is," Peter said, tearing open one of the Poptarts they'd brought along.

"So...what? I can't go?" April asked.

"Well, it's just not safe for a non fighter," Peter explained.

"Wow, Andy," she said sarcastically. "Maybe you should have just left me on _Terra_."

She set her coffee mug down near the sink and moved past him sideways, back to the stairs.

"April," Peter said, setting his mug down. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by it."

He followed her up the stairs and felt sad when he realized she had to wait by the door because she didn't know how to use the keypad.

"It's the first four buttons," he mumbled, showing her.

When the door opened, he followed her inside.

"Babe," he said.

April took out some clean clothes, staring at him.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," he said. "And I can skip the mission. It's no big deal."

"Why can't I just go?" April asked. "Are these karate action pirates?"

She started to get dressed. As she did so, she asked, "Are they ninjas? Trained assassins?"

"Before you go on any kind of mission," Peter told her. "I'll have to train you-not a lot-just a little. You'll need to know some basic self defense, you'll need to know how to use a pack and a space suit."

"Oh my God you sound like Ben," April said, pulling up her black jeans and buttoning them. "Stop."

"I'm just trying to keep you safe," Peter said, sounding slightly exasperated. He grabbed her arm as she tried to move past him.

"Because I love you," he said.

"You don't think I can handle it," she said.

"No," he agreed. "Not yet anyway. I'm not saying you won't be a kickass fighter later, but you can't just go out there and know how to do it."

"Look," he said when she said nothing. "Let me go on this mission, and then when we get back-in just a few hours-I'll start showing you the ropes."

April still said nothing.

"You had to teach me how to use the waffle iron," he told her. "I didn't complain."

"That's true," April said quietly.

"And the carpet shampooer and Champion's extendable leash," he said. "Oh, and the Britta pitcher."

"Okay, but you gotta stop sounding so boring about it," April told him. "Then you can train me or whatever."

 

 

 

To Be Continued...

 

**Author's Note:**

> I am having a blast writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading it. I'm not familiar with writing crossovers at all so if anybody has any good or clever ideas, please feel free to throw them my way. Thanks!


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